Connecting rods in combination with a tufting machine

ABSTRACT

A connecting rod for transmitting a drive to a looper or knife shaft of a tufting machine includes an adjustment means for varying the effective length thereof, the adjustment means comprising a turn-buckle in screw-threaded engagement with and connecting together axially aligned rod-parts and a locking means for maintaining such rod-parts in an adjusted relative disposition.

United States Patent 11 1 11 1 3,736,91 Parsons 1 1 June 5, 1973 [54] CONNECTING RODS IN [56] References Cited COMBINATION WITH A TUFTING MACHINE UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,390,288 12/1945 Ballamy et al ..1 12/22] [751 Invent gf l g g 's 3,498,652 3/1970 Cass ..287/60 ac 3,203,378 8/1965 Demon ...112/79 A [73] Assigneez The singer Company 2,813,733 11/1957 Herrmann ..287/60 Lmmed London England Primary Examiner-James R. Boler [22] Filed: Aug. 12, 1971 Attorney-Marshall J. Breen, Chester A. Williams 211 App]. No.2 171,048 andjul'an [57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Apphcatlon Pnonty Data A connecting rod for transmitting a drive to a looper Aug 22, 1970 Great Britain ..40,558/7O r knife shaft of a tufting machine includes an adjustment means for varying the effective length thereof, [52] [1.8. CI ..ll2/79 R, 1 12/221, 287/60 the adjustment means comprising a turn-buckle in [5 1] Int. Cl ..D05C 15/20 screw-threaded engagement with and connecting Field of Search 12/79 79 together axially aligned rod-parts and a locking means 1 for maintaining such rod-parts in an adjusted relative 188/196; 287/60 disposition.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEUJUH 5 I973 3, 736,891

SHEET 2 OF 2 CONNECTING RODS IN COMBINATION WITH A TUFTING MACHINE The invention concerns connecting rods and has particular, though not exclusive, reference to a connecting rod for use in a tufting machine in the drive transmission to the knives or loopers thereof.

The need often arises in a tufting machine for slight adjustments to be made in the timing of the knife or 'looper operation relative to that of the related needle, and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a means whereby such adjustment might readily be affected.

According to the present invention an adjustable connecting rod, particularly for a tufting machine, comprises rod-parts arranged in end-to-end axial alignment, and a turn-buckle in screw-threaded engagement with such parts and adapted, upon rotation relative to such parts, to effect a relative movement therebetween in the axial direction thereof.

Preferably, the connecting rod will further include a locking means adapted, upon actuation, to maintain the turn-buckle and rod parts in a requisite relative disposition and an indicator means adapted to indicate the relative positions of the rod-parts.

In one arrangement the indicator means comprises a first part carried by the turn-buckle and co-operating with a second, complementary part carried by one of the rod-parts.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one embodiment thereof and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of an adjustable connecting rod for use in transmitting a drive motion to the oscillating knife or looper shaft of a tufting machine;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the connecting rod of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a partial section of a tufting machine embodying the adjustable connecting rod of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, a connecting rod comprises first and second rod-parts 11,12 arranged in axially aligned end-to-end disposition, a turn-buckle l3 screwthreadedly engaged with the respective adjacent ends of the two rod-parts, and an indicator means 14 for indicating, in a quantitative manner, the adjusted position of the assembly.

The first rod-part 11 carries a big-end section 16 at one end and the opposite end 110 is of reduced diameter for free sliding engagement with an axially directed blind bore 12a in the adjacent end of the second rodpart 12, such second rod-part 12 having a bifurcated remote end thereto, the individual limbs 12b of such bifurcated end receiving respective, axially aligned, bearings 17 therein.

The first and second rod-parts 11,12 are provided with respective screw-threads 18,19 for co-operation with respective complementary screw-threads 21,22 at the inner surface of the turn-buckle 13, the screwthread 18 being provided on an intermediate section 11b of the rod-part from which the reduced diameter end 11a thereof extends and the screw-thread 19 being provided at the end section of the other such part and radially outwardly of the blind bore 12a.

The turn-buckle 13 is provided with longitudinally extending ribs 13a at the outer surface thereof to facilitate gripping for adjustment purposes and a slit 13b is formed in the wall of the sleeve which defines the turnbuckle and at each end thereof, the said slits 13b extending from the extremity of the sleeve in the longitudinal direction thereof, and each terminating in an enlarged hole 13b. At either edge of each slit there is provided an integrally formed lug 13c, the paired lugs at each end being drilled and tapped to receive a clamping screw 20 whereby the turn-buckle may be locked in position relative to the rod-parts.

That end of the turn-buckle overlying the rod-part 12 is stepped, as at 13d, to receive a part 14a of the indicator means 14, such part 14a being secured to the turnbuckle by means of a screw.

The indicator means 14 comprises a circular scale attached to the turn-buckle, such scale being the part 14a aforesaid, for rotational and axial movement therewith, and a linear scale 14b secured in a recess 12!: in the rod-part 12, the linear scale 14b extending longitudinally of the rod-part and being held in position by screws.

In order to adjust the length of the connecting rod, the clamping screws 20 are slackened off and the turnbuckle 13 is rotated relative to the rod-parts 11,12 until a requisite relative axial position of such parts as shown by the indicator means 14 is achieved, the clamping screws 20 thereafter being tightened to maintain such relative disposition.

It will be appreciated that by virtue of the indicator means, and particularly in view of the form of such means, it is possible to provide for an accurate adjustment of the connecting rod, which adjustment can be effected in a simple and rapid manner.

By providing co-operating male and female parts at the adjacent ends of the axially aligned rod-parts, so a necessary degree of rigidity is achieved for the satisfactory application of the connecting rod of the invention to the context of tufting machines, and in particular in the drive transmission to the knives or loopers thereof.

The application of the connecting rod to a tufting machine is shown in FIG. 3 only, those parts of the tufting machine relevant to an understanding of the invention being shown in the drawing.

Thus, the tufting machine includes a frame 30 mounting a bed-plate 31 for supporting a backing fabric 32, the fabric 32 being advanced across the bedplate by means of a plurality of backing feed rolls 33, which feed the fabric to the machine from a suitable source (not shown), and a plurality of take-up rolls 34 at the output side of the machine. A main shaft 35 is joumalled in frame 30, and is suitably driven by a motor (not shown) in well known manner. The shaft 35 has an eccentric 36 supported thereon in driving relationship and a connecting rod 37 is disposed in surrounding engagement with the eccentric 36 so that rotary motion provided by the shaft 35 and the eccentric 36 will result in a substantially reciprocating motion of the connecting rod 37. A rod 38 is pivotally connected to the connecting rod 37 at one end thereof, the said connecting rod 37 being of the adjustable kind shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and to a needle bar 39 at its other end, the rod 38 passing through a bushing 40 in the frame 30 so that the rod 38 and the needle bar 39 will reciprocate relative to the frame 30 and the bed plate 31 as a result of the motion imparted by the shaft 35, eccentric 36 and the connecting rod 37. t

The needle bar 39 supports a needle 41 thereon for' reciprocation through the backing fabric 32,- there being a needle plate 42 on the' bed plate 31 to support the backing fabric 32 against the thrust of the needle 41. A hook or looper 43 is supported beneath the bed plate 31 and is oscillated by a shaft 44 in known manner for co-operation with the needle 41 as the latter pierces the backing fabric 32 and carries a loop of yarn therethrough for forming the tufted pile.

The invention is not restricted to the exact features of the particular embodiment of connecting rod disclosed since alternatives will readily present themselves to one skilled in the art. Thus, for example, the indicator means may take other forms than that described and illustrated. In some applications it may be found necessary to provide the co-operating male and female formations at the adjacent ends of the rod-parts.

What we claim is:

1. ln a multi-needle tufting machine of the type in which a transversely extending reciprocable needle bar is adapted to carry a plurality of needles therewith so as to pass yarns through a base fabric to form tufts therein, a main drive shaft is operatively connected through a drive transmission with loopers cooperable with said needles, and the drive transmission includes a connecting rod, the improvement which comprises a segmented connecting rod having first and second axially aligned parts connected by a turn-buckle in threaded engagement therewith, said turn-buckle being adapted, upon rotation relative to said rod parts, to effect a relative axial movement therebetween and to simultaneously indicate by indicator means on one of said rod parts the relative position of said rod parts, one of said rod parts having a reduced diameter end portion and the adjacent end of the other rod part having a blind bore therein dimensioned to slidably receive said reduced diameter end portion of the other rod part for the maintenance of axial alignment.

2. A multi-needle tufting machine according to claim 1, wherein said indicator means comprises a scale part on the turn-buckle and a cooperable part on the aligned adjacent rod part.

3. A tufting machine according to claim 1 wherein one rod-part terminates in a big-end section and the other rod-part terminates in a bifurcation, the opposed limbs of such bifurcation having respective axially aligned bearings therein.

4. A tufting machine according to claim 3 wherein the said complementary part of the indicator means is carried by that rod-part which terminates in the bifurcation and the scale part is provided on the turn-buckle and directly adjacent to the scale part. 

1. In a multi-needle tufting machine of the type in which a transversely extending reciprocable needle bar is adapted to carry a plurality of needles therewith so as to pass yarns through a base fabric to form tufts therein, a main drive shaft is operatively connected through a drive transmission with loopers cooperable with said needles, and the drive transmission includes a connecting rod, the improvement which comprises a segmented connecting rod having first and second axially aligned parts connected by a turn-buckle in threaded engagement therewith, said turn-buckle being adapted, upon rotation relative to said rod parts, to effect a relative axial movement therebetween and to simultaneously indicate by indicator means on one of said rod parts the relative position of said rod parts, one of said rod parts having a reduced diameter end portion and the adjacent end of the other rod part having a blind bore therein dimensioned to slidably receive said reduced diameter end portion of the other rod part for the maintenance of axial alignment.
 2. A multi-needle tufting machine according to claim 1, wherein said indicator means comprises a scale part on the turn-buckle and a cooperable part on the aligned adjacent rod part.
 3. A tufting machine according to claim 1 wherein one rod-part terminates in a big-end section and the other rod-part terminates in a bifurcation, the opposed limbs of such bifurcation having respective axially aligned bearings therein.
 4. A tufting machine according to claim 3 wherein the said complementary part of the indicator means is carried by that rod-part which terminates in the bifurcation and the scale part is provided on the turn-buckle and directly adjacent to the scale part. 